Zoom confronted Linda and, using his tremendous powers, snapped his fingers in her face, creating a shockwave that caused her to miscarry her unborn children. He believed Barry Allen had been so dedicated to justice and fairness because of the loss of his mother, so the new, twisted Zoom decided to force Wally to endure a tragedy of his own: the death of his wife, Linda Park, who was pregnant with twins. Just like Wally took up the mantle of the Flash as tribute to Barry Allen, Zolomon looked to Allen's greatest enemy, Professor Zoom, for inspiration, taking on the name "Zoom." In the new villain's mind, West refused to help him because the hero had never suffered a real tragedy. With his new powers, Zolomon turned his attention to the Flash. However, rather than making Zolomon a speedster, he instead found himself with the power to detach himself from the time stream. In an attempt to use the Treadmill himself, the device exploded, bathing Zolomon in chronal energies. This rejection was the final straw for Zolomon. West, fearing the consequences of meddling with the time stream, refused. In the ensuing chaos, Grodd assaulted Hunter Zolomon, paralyzing the already physically impaired cop from the waist down.Ī physically and mentally broken Zolomon begged Wally West to use the Cosmic Treadmill (an iconic device that allows speedsters to travel through time or between dimensions) to go back to the past and change the timeline so Grodd's escape never took place. In the issue, a savage and megalomaniacal Grodd broke out of Iron Heights prison. In "Flash" #193 (2002), Johns and Kolins not only reimagined the simian supervillain for a new generation, the creative team also planted the seeds that would lead to Zolomon's transformation into one of the greatest Flash foes of all time. This, combined with his leg injury, led to a growing resentment in the heart of a brilliant and otherwise dedicated cop.Ĭould Grodd have something to do with Zoom's secret origin? That was certainly the case in the comic. After Zolomon's father-in-law was murdered, an event Zolomon's inaction was directly responsible for, Zolomon's wife left him.
A major difference between Barry and the Hunter Zolomon was the fact that Zolomon had a severely damaged knee, which had been injured while working a case.